Not only did we save money
on meals, but this four star hotel always has great deals on rooms--we've paid
as little as $21/night for a large room with two double beds. No one forces you
to go down to the casino!

Hotel room cooking no longer has to consist
of reheating left-over pizza on the hotel iron, and cooking oatmeal or steaming vegetables in
the coffee maker. Savvy travelers now bring along their own small appliances to
enable gourmet meal preparation in their hotel room.

What about rules against in-room cooking?

First, remember that this a difference
between a rule and a law. Some hotels, especially those in national parks where
restaurants are run by the same company that operates the hotel, explicitly
forbid in-room cooking; they want you to eat in their restaurants. It's possible they could
fine you or force you to leave if they caught
you cooking, especially if you signed something at check-in (like the agreement
you sign that if you smoke in a no-smoking room there will be a hefty penalty
charge).

Hotel staff generally ignores in-room cooking
as long as it is done discretely with appliances that do not pose a risk of
fire any greater than the hotel coffee maker or iron. As long as the appliances
do not have an open heating element, hotels are usually not concerned about
their use. Deep frying,
or any food preparation that uses a lot of oil is not a good idea, nor is the
preparation of very smelly foods. Cook in the
bathroom, with the door closed, well away from the smoke detector. Heating water
is almost always okay, especially since most hotels and motels provide a coffee
maker in the room. With boiling water you can prepare a lot of different foods
from instant noodles to boil-in-bag meals.

It's best to clean and store your appliances
before leaving your room in the morning. Don't make a mess and annoy the housekeeping
staff. Bring some garbage bags with you and throw away food wrappings and garbage, and dump the bag in a
garbage can outside your room. Be discrete and considerate.

Personally, I've never had a problem. YMMV.

While higher-end hotels rarely have any
cooking facilities in the room (other than perhaps a coffee maker), most
lower-priced chain motels now have at least a coffee maker, microwave and a
refrigerator in the room. I recently stayed at a pretty crappy Days Inn in San
Diego, but they had a full size refrigerator, a two burner stove top, a
microwave, a coffee maker, and a dishwasher. I thought that the dishwasher was a
bit strange for a motel room.

This is an issue if you need to use
appliances purchased in the U.S. in countries where the mains voltage is 220V.
Someone e-mailed me about this asking about using the Takeru Travel Kitchen/Rice
Cooker HL-901A in a 220V country.

Most of the appliances mentioned on this site
are 120V only, though a few are dual voltage. To use 120V appliances in places with 220V electricity a high wattage travel converter can be used.
These converters are for appliances that are purely resistive (no motors, no electronics, no clocks,
no timers, no digital temperature controls, etc). These converters do not have a
step-down transformer inside which is why they are so small, light, and
inexpensive. They will
not harm the purely resistive element inside a cooking appliance. Buy a
2000 watt model which is far more than most appliances use, because you want a
lot of margin. Converters can get very hot depending on
the wattage of the appliance used with it, and the manufacturers always warn
that these are not designed for continuous use because excess power is bled off
as heat by the triacs.

These adapters work like a light
dimmer, they chop off the sine wave to reduce the RMS (root mean square)
voltage. A pure sine wave has an RMS voltage of 1.414 * peak voltage (110V RMS
is around 156V peak). A converter chops the 220V sine wave such that the RMS
voltage (the area under the waveform) is around 100V. RMS voltage is all that
matters to a resistive heating element (and to an incandescent light bulb). Note
that all the excess power is converted to heat which is dissipated by the triacs
inside the converter. This is a significant amount of heat. Some
non-resistive 120V devices will be damaged by the high peak voltage and the
non-sinusoidal waveform. About $20.

So the converter only reduces the peak
voltage slightly (from 311V to 265V), but it reduces the RMS voltage from
220V to 95V, which is close enough to the 110V RMS from a normal 110VAC
outlet.

Actually, AC motors
will usually function with one of these converters, but both the non-sinusoidal
wave form, and higher peak voltage, will shorten the life of motors and
transformers.

Be careful what you buy as there are subtle
differences in products. You can buy a 220V to 110V voltage converter with plug
adapter that does not have the ability to function solely as a plug
adapter with dual voltage appliances (Powerbright TK2000). You can buy the
similar looking (other than the color)
220V to 110V voltage converter with plug adapter that does have the
ability to function solely as a plug adapter with dual voltage appliances
(Conair Travelsmart TS253AD). You can buy a plug adapter only, which does not do
voltage conversion.

Conair Travelsmart TS253AD 220 to 110V
Voltage Converter/Plug Adapter, 2000 WattNote: This device can be used as a plug adapter with dual-voltage appliances because voltage conversion
function can be switched off.

The Conair Travel Smart TS253AD Adapter
Converter Combo <http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002E7L7UO>
does have a switch to allow it to be used as a plug adapter only, or as a plug
adapter voltage converter. $19 from Amazon.

A more detailed description of the very
similar Powerbright TK2000 can be found
here, but this unit does not allow the voltage conversion function to be
switched off and is not recommended. However the explanation of the conversion
capabilities may be useful.

Plug Adapter Only (no voltage conversion)

Use these on dual voltage appliances that do
not require voltage conversion, or to use single voltage appliances in countries
with the same voltage but different plugs. Combine one of these with a triple
tap to be able to plug in all your dual voltage devices, you don't need one for
every device.

The two mini-cookers and one of the good
kettles have no adjustability of temperature which is a problem if you want to
simmer or "keep warm."

For purely resistive loads like a light bulb
or heating element you can use a triac controlled light dimmer of an appropriate
wattage to vary the heat. These work on the same principal as the 220/240V to
110/120V converters. Double the rated wattage of the appliance when choosing a
dimmer. For example for a 450W appliance get at least a 900W dimmer. If you set
the dimmer control to half power then the appliance dissipates half the power
and the triac and heat sink on the dimmer dissipates the other half. The dimmers
that control household lamps are not high power enough to handle a cooking
appliance.

Unfortunately, I have never seen a
commercially available dimmer that is rated for both 110/120V and 220/240V, even
though practically speaking the circuit inside should handle both. However you
can buy an inexpensive PC board module that is rated for both but you'd need to
build it into an appropriate enclosure. Search on eBay for "2000W SCR 220V."

The English is bad in the product
description:

SKU: 14_B000114008967

Description:

With reverse polarity protection, high current protection

High temperature FR-4 circuit board

Maximum Power: 2000W

Voltage: AC 110-220V

Voltage Regulation: AC 50-220V

Size(Lx W): Approx.46 x 35mm

How to use:

This product series with the lamp or electrical circuit, table
lamps, appliances disconnect any FireWire or zero line (ie a
"product" two wires connected to both) rotary potentiometer spin
rod, you can play light and shade adjustment, speed, pressure, the
role of the thermostat; use very convenient. This product is
applicable to: the use of new two-way high-power thyristor can be
very convenient to adjust the mains current up to 25 A, and solve
the the overcurrent problem of the heating wire resistance is too
small in the case of cooling causing good; the output voltage is
adjusted anywhere between 90 ---- 220 volts for use with electrical
appliances. Such as: electric stove, water heater tune thermal,
lighting dimmer, small motor speed, electric iron thermostat. So as
to achieve dimming, thermostats, pressure regulator effect. Large
appliances available, power consumption is less than 2,000 watts of
power has sufficient home appliances or small factories. (Inductive
or capacitive load power should be reduced, the regulator is
equipped with two-way high-power thyristor, potentiometers are with
nuts, do not have to add any components will be able to use, very
convenient and practical).

Like most frequent travelers, I would often
find a need to heat up leftovers from a restaurant meal, or would want to not
eat every meal in a restaurant. While most travelers have figured out how to use
hotel room appliances like irons and coffee makers to heat food, it's rather
inconvenient to use these devices for unintended purposes. I've seen travelers
with full size crock pots and rice cookers at the hotel check-in desk, but I
feel that it's best to be discrete when planning to turn your hotel room into a
kitchen. I've even seen someone with a full size rice cooker walking into the
Mount Rose ski area, planning to cook lunch for their kids using the power
outlets in the lodge.

Walgreen's used to offer a line of very
inexpensive small-sized appliances under the "Kitchen Gourmet" brand. Alas, now
the brand has changed to "Maxi-Matic" and the prices have increased
considerably, even though most of the appliances are exactly the same as before.
Look for a sale.

Beware that most of these appliances are not
dual voltage. 120V appliances have a heating element with a much lower
resistance than a 220V appliance. Operating a 120V appliance with a heating element at 240V would
result in about 4x the wattage. If the heating element is not designed to
tolerate the higher wattage then it would quickly burn up. However operating a 240V
heating
appliance at 120V will usually work, it would just take far longer to cook
anything (this assumes that the appliance has no electronics, just a resistive heating
element).

A good replacement for the discontinued
Wah-Luen/Takeru Travel Kitchen/Rice Cooker HL-901A. No information on size or power. Sold online by Livart. I have not seen this in any stores. Makes enough rice for one person.
$29.
http://www.shoplivart.com/l-001n.html

"If you find something you really,
really like, buy a lifetime supply; because it'll either be changed for the
worse or go out of production." Rivendell

This mini-rice cooker flew off the shelves at
the local Japanese market. They could not keep them in stock. They kept raising
the price too. Eventually the manufacturer had to respond to the high demand for
the product by discontinuing it.

I saw this tiny rice cooker at my local Japanese supermarket,
Marukai. It costs $30 (often on sale for $27). It's a combination rice
cooker and meal warmer for one person. It's marketed to
office workers that want to cook fresh rice and warm meat and vegetables at
work. It's rated at 250 watts at 120 volts. The manufacturer's web site is quite
confusing, showing only 220V models, but this is a 120V only model*. The height
is about 7" and the diameter is about 6". Remember, rice cookers are not the
same as hot pots. It takes about 20 minutes to make rice. The pot is very small,
and holds only enough food for one person. The capacity (on the box and web
site) is listed at 0.8 liters. The capacity is smaller that it looks from the
outside.

I finally
bought one of these in December 2012 for my daughter to take to her college dorm
room where she is on the 5 day meal plan and needs to cook or eat out on
weekends. Since she's half-Asian she needs her rice. The heating element is about 60Ω, which means that at 120V this unit
draws about 2 amps, and is about 240 watts.

I should warn you that I find the physical
Marukai store an incredibly rude and annoying store to shop at. If an electric
appliance doesn't work you are out of luck as there are no returns or exchanges.
My extended family buys a lot of Asian kitchen appliances and we try to avoid
Marukai even though it's the closest store to us that carries a wide selection
of rice cookers, water boilers, and multi-cookers. We have willingly paid more for items to avoid this store, but in this case there
are no other sources.The reviews of it on the
Marukai web site are good, if you can trust them.

*This is a 120V only appliance. The manufacturer has many different
versions of this appliance in different sizes and wattages, but this
is the only model I've seen in the U.S.. What's interesting is that this model,
HL-901A, is listed on the manufacturer's distributor's web site at 220V/250W.
The box at Marukai for the same model is listed at 120V/250W/50Hz. Obviously
50Hz is not correct for U.S. use, but the frequency won't matter for a device
that is just a resistive heating element (eastern Japan is 50Hz which is why
they used 50Hz in the specs). They must have used a
lower resistance heating element for the 120V model and just not bothered to
change the model number. Do not use this appliance at 220V. The heating element
will draw 220V/60Ω=3.7A
and will generate 806 watts which will likely destroy it. You can use it with a
voltage converter.

Perfect for heating water for instant
noodles, or for steaming vegetables. $25 at Walgreen's. 32 ounces. Sold at Amazon for $15
http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Matic-EHP-001-Cuisine-32-Ounce-Electric/dp/B002DUCC8S. You can also use this as a double
boiler when combined with a steel cup as shown. The current model includes a
steamer rack and an egg boiler. Automatic shut-off. One of the few hot pots with
a temperature control (just as with an electric stove, the heating element is
cycled on and off to achieve a lower average temperature). One issue is that the
interior is plastic. I prefer a hot pot with a stainless steel interior.

The cup in the photo is similar to a Sierra
cup used for camping, but this one is all steel with no cool-touch rim. They
sell them at Daiso
stores for $1.50 (not sold in their on-line store). They are called "boiling
cups" and the photo on the package shows it being used in the same way I'm using
it below (no the boiling water isn't ice). 120V only. Tends to rust on the
inside and needs to be cleaned with steel wool.

1000W Dual Voltage 120V/240V 0.7L. Sold in
Asian markets. About $23. Online at
http://www.amazon.com/Narita-International-Electric-Voltage-NTK-007/dp/B0030HO5KQ.
One of the few dual-voltage hot pots available. Not a coffee percolator.
Stainless steel so no plastic taste. Automatic shut-off. No temperature control.
Shuts off as soon as water boils so if you want to boil water for several
minutes (for purifying water in foreign countries) then you have to hold
in the "Reset" button on the handle. I got one on sale from 99 Ranch
in Cupertino ROC, for $20.

It takes a long time to cook items with a
crock pot, but if you can leave it going during the day you can come back to a
meal that is ready to eat. $8-15.The
problem with a crock pot is that you'd have to leave in on when you leave your
room, and housekeeping might not like it, though a crock pot looks quite safe. 120V only.
I have seen these on sale for $7.99 at Fry's Electronics. This is a small crock
pot.

Some hotels don't have coffee makers. This is
a convenient sized drip coffee maker to carry along to avoid those expensive trips to
Starbucks. Coffee maker is $20. Grinders are $20. Beware that some blade
grinders are of very poor construction quality. 120V only. Personally, I'd
rather use a filter cone holder and filter, and heat water in a hot pot or with
an immersion heater.

Surprisingly, the number of travel coffee
makers has declined in the past few years. You can look for a used Melitta
Travel Mate on eBay, or one of the old 12V/120V kits with a steel kettle
(also on eBay). I've also seen the latter for sale at flea markets (a lot of
them were sold new over the years). Personally, I think that it's very sad when
I see things that I purchased new listed as "vintage" on eBay.

Remember, when it comes to coffee makers,
manufacturers have re-defined "cup" to mean 4 to 5 ounces, not 8 ounces. So a "4
cup" coffee maker will actually brew only enough coffee for one 16 ounce travel
mug.

Small, self-contained, portable, dual-voltage, drip coffee maker with mug. $40.
Makes one relatively small cup.120/240V. I can see using this in an airport to
make coffee while waiting for a flight without freaking out anyone.

This is the only new product I found in this
category. Sold at Amazon for $100. These used to be popular in the 20th century,
and I was surprised to find one still available.
The nice thing about this is that it's all self-contained, put the coffee and the
water in, plug it in, and wait. You can also boil water with it. Probably
dual-voltage, but not sure.

No longer made, but a lot of them on the used
market. I bought one many years ago from J.C. Whitney. Since it's just a
resistive heating element inside you can run it off 12V or 120V, and it just
takes far longer to boil water on 12V. The AC plug has a keying hole between the
prongs, and the cigarette plug adapter has a pin sticking out that prevents AC plugs without the keyhole from plugging into the cigarette plug adapter. Sold
under various brands including Travl-Perk, Nesco, Montgomery Ward, and Empire. Would work fine
with a voltage adapter for use with 220/240V power. All over eBay, and often
found at flea markets, and probably at garage sales. Seem to sell used for
around $20.

MADE IN THE USA

Attached Dual Voltage (12 Volt DC / 120 Volt AC)
Cord Set

Thermostatically Controlled

Perks Up to Six (4) Cups

Uses 165 watts at 12 volts DC (14 amps)

Universal Floor Bracket

Includes - two coffee cups, two spoons,
measuring cup, two containers

Complete Care and Operating Instructions
Included

When used on 120 volts AC percolation will start
in about a minute and stop automatically

When used on 12 volts DC percolation may take as
long as twenty minutes to start and will stop automatically in 25 to 40
minutes

For $1.50-3 you can buy a plastic coffee cone that
accepts #2 or #4 cone filters. Boil water in a measuring cup with an
immersion heater, or use a hot pot, and make wonderful coffee, directly into
a double-wall stainless steel mug or bottle, without the hassle or expense
of a coffee maker.

These appliances are popular in Asia, where
presumably they are used in small apartments with no full size cooking
facilities. Several Japanese, Chinese, and Korean manufacturers offer 3 in 1
multi-cookers that allow you to grill, fry, griddle, steam, and slow cook; you
can even pop popcorn, though since they are pretty low don't overfill it with
kernels. These are
good choices because one appliance has multiple uses and you don't need to bring
along separate pots and pans. If you have an Asian supermarket with a small
appliances section then you'll probably be able to find one of these cookers
without ordering it on-line, but you may pay a premium. These are great
appliances for hotel room use. With the pot in place the heating element is not
exposed, even though this is really a glorified hot plate that comes with
matched pots and pans.

These cookers are essentially a hot plate
with included, matched, pots and pans, you can achieve the same result with a hot plate
and collection of pots and pans, but these cookers are nice since everything
nests together and the pots and pans are sized for the hot plate. You can put any pot you want on top of the heating element, you don't have to use just
the pans that are supplied with the unit.

One annoyance with these cookers is that on
some of them it's
difficult to do something as simply as boil water for coffee because it's
difficult to pick up the hot pan and pour the contents into a cup. Be sure to
have a use potholder or towel for the ones that lack handles on the pot. You could also use a pot gripper but put several
layers of heat shrinkable tubing over the exposed metal parts to avoid
scratching the non-stick finish of the pot. You can also just use a small pot or
a steel boiling cup to boil water on the heating element.

Sanyo HPS-MC3 3-in-1 Electric Multi-Cooker

About 15" diameter pot. Good for a meal
for a family of 4-6. Has handles on the pot. Temperature control.

This has a street price of $70-100. 120V only.

Zojirushi EP-RAC50

About 12" diameter pot. Good for a meal
for a family of 3-5. Has handles on the pot. Temperature control.

More expensive than the Sanyo HPS-MC3, but smaller.
Get the Lg Livart LV301 instead if you are content with the lower wattage. 120V only. $112 from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FERMNE.

LG Livart LV301

About 9" diameter pot. Good for a
meal for a family of 2-3. A very good deal at $45. No handles to lift pot, use
potholders. Temperature control.

Available only at Marukai, it's a
small multi-cooker for only $45. See
http://www.marukaiestore.com/p-4756-livart-9-inch-multi-pot-lv301.aspx. The
LG Livart web site does not show this item. The Marukai physical store near me now
carries these. I have not seen them at any other store or at any other web
retailer. The low price and compact size makes this a good choice for cooking
for one or two people, though for more people a bigger unit like the Sanyo
HPS-MC3 would be better. It's just big enough for a pound of pasta and sauce,
but barely.

Filled to the very top with water
it holds 2 liters, practically speaking I'd say the capacity is 1.6 liters.

I should warn you that I find the physical
Marukai store an incredibly rude and annoying store to shop at. If an electric
appliance doesn't work you are out of luck as there are no returns or exchanges.
My extended family buys a lot of Asian kitchen appliances and we try to avoid
Marukai even though it's the closest store to us that carries a wide selection
of rice cookers, water boilers, and multi-cookers. We have willingly paid more
for items to avoid this store, but in this case there are no other sources.

If you want to store this in the original box
be sure to note how it is packed when you open it. It is not obvious how to
repack it. The perforated steamer nests inside deep cooker pot and sit on top of
the heater base. The heater base nests in the roasting pan. Glass lid and fry
rack go in last

120V only. 590 watts. This is pretty low
wattage.

Since there is no information regarding this unit on
the web I have scanned the manual, and it's available here.

I saw this at Marukai Japanese market in Cupertino.
Not sold online. $65. Has steel handles for lifting, but you may need
potholders. I do not own this unit. Not sure about the wattage at 120V since the
only web site I found this on shows the 220V model; hopefully they changed the
heating element to a lower resistance unit so the wattage is high enough at the
lower voltage. Temperature control.

I should warn you that I find the physical
Marukai store an incredibly rude and annoying store to shop at. If an electric
appliance doesn't work you are out of luck as there are no returns or exchanges.
My extended family buys a lot of Asian kitchen appliances and we try to avoid
Marukai even though it's the closest store to us that carries a wide selection
of rice cookers, water boilers, and multi-cookers. We have willingly paid more
for items to avoid this store, but in this case there are no other sources.

Simple, small, and inexpensive, you can use this
with any pot or pan. $20 or less. I suggest looking at non-stick camping cook-sets,
because they pack small with nesting pots and pans (if you're in Korea they have
some good camping cook sets at Costco). Store coil burners out of
sight when leaving your hotel room, as they have the appearance of being dangerous.
120V only. Asian supermarkets are likely to sell these for under $15. These all
have adjustable heat burners.

Induction burners use magnetic fields to
transfer heat to special cookware. They will not work with non-magnetic cookware
(aluminum or copper). They are safer than radiant heat burners because the
surface doesn't get hot, only the pot or pan. 120V only. You can buy an
"Induction Interface Disk" to enable the use of non-magnetic cookware,
which kind of defeats the purpose because the disk gets hot. Do not use with a
travel adapter that does not use a transformer.

This burner costs $68 at
Amazon. I've seen one model at Costco for around $50.

Induction interface disk allows the use of
induction burners with non-magnetic pots and pans. Costs more than an induction
burner!

This is a small hotplate with a matched 1.3
liter pot,
and a bowl, that all nest together (the hotplate fits inside the pot). It runs off of 100-120 volts or 200-240
volts 50-66 Hz. Do an eBay search for "SANYO RN-38NF," I have seen them there
for $79 plus $20 shipping, shipped from Hong Kong. No temperature control. They
actually state the wattage difference at the all the different voltages.The specifications from the
Sanyo web site (no longer there but archived
here) are as follows:

Model
No.

RN-38NF

Power
Consumption

100,
200V: 250W/120, 240V: 360W

Power
Source

100
- 120V / 200 - 240V AC, 50/60Hz

Capacity

1,300ml

Dimensions
(W) x (D) x (H) mm

Heater

128
x 61 x 128

Pot

155
x 76 x 155

Net
Weight (kg)

0.88

Color

Metallic

Kind of expensive, but you pay for the compactness. Good for
air travel where you can't bring larger appliances. I thought
I'd be able to find this in the local Japanese stores that carry some of the
Sanyo appliances not normally sold in the U.S., but I had no success. Very hard
to find anywhere as they are extremely sought after and sell out quickly.

Aroma Hotplate

I'm not sure what the advantage is to a hot
plate versus a coil burner. I
guess it looks a little safer and more stable. 120V only. 800 watts. $16 at
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007QCRNU.

For boiling water for ramen or other "just add boiling
water" foods, nothing is smaller, simpler, cheaper, or faster than an
immersion heater.

An immersion heater is like a nuclear fuel rod, it must be
immersed in water when operating or it will melt. The heating element is encased
in the metal coil (the containment vessel). Remember to fully immerse the coil in water
before plugging it in,
and to unplug it before removing it from the water. Don't let the water
all boil away, and don't let the immersion heater fall out of the cup or pot. Inside the coil is a nichrome wire that will burn up in a few seconds if the device is operated
outside of the water. Many users of immersion heaters get upset when they burn
up, but they burn up because they are operated when not immersed in water. An
immersion heater is extremely efficient--nearly 100% of the heat is transferred
to the liquid. Household electric water heaters are essentially big tanks with a
big immersion heater inside.

Use only for heating water. I've used one to heat cans of
corn that are packed in water as well, but don't heat stuff like milk with it. A
great thing to bring on overseas travel where you need to boil drinking water at
the hotel. I've used a 120V model on 220V with no problems, it just heats much
faster though it probably reduces the life of the heating element. They cost $5-6. Buy a couple of them as sometimes they burn out without
warning. Even the $15 dual voltage version apparently doesn't have a 120V/220V switch, it
just gets hotter on the higher voltage.

The Norpro 559 is the most common immersion heater
available in the U.S. and is 300 watts. I wouldn't advise using it at 220V since
it would produce 1200 watts and would likely self-destruct.

120V only version is available at many stores for about $5.
Amazon sells it as well. See
DoitBestand see if they have free store to store shipping for your
area. The last time I checked, they charged $5.29 for this immersion heater.

For 220V/240V immersion heaters check stores that
sell 220V/240V appliance for use outside the U.S., generally Indian or Chinese
stores. I picked up a 500W/220V immersion heater for $5.99 at an Indian store in
Sunnyvale, CA,
http://www.eastwestusastore.com, but it isn't on their web site. This
will also work at 120V, but it will be only 125W at 120V so it would take a long
time to boil water (I tried it and it took 19 minutes to bring 8 ounces of water
to a rolling boil).

There are a bunch of high-power 220V
immersion heaters from the Ukraine that are sold on eBay, but the shipping is
quite expensive. A 1500W model is $28 with shipping. A 2000W model is about $25
with shipping. Note that these will work fine at 120V, the wattage will just be
reduced by about 75%.

Obviously most of these are too big to carry with you in your luggage, but
on trips where you're driving they'd work out okay. Hotel staff is likely to be
unconcerned about a microwave oven since the fire danger is minimal. I take
along a folding hand truck that folds very flat and small in order to cart the
microwave into the hotel. I figured it was cheaper to bring along a small
microwave than to pay every time for an upgraded room that included a microwave,
though more and more standard rooms now include a microwave oven and a
refrigerator, and at most motel chains the breakfast area has a microwave that's
available even outside of breakfast hours.

Remember that the cooking wattage is not the same as the
wattage that the microwave oven draws. You need to multiply the cooking wattage
by about 1.6 to get the input power, or look at the specifications. Don't think
that you can power any of these from a vehicle via an inverter connected to your
vehicle's cigarette lighter outlet. The Wavebox can
be powered directly connected to a vehicle's battery with the vehicle running.

GE has a 220 volt/50 Hz, 0.3 cu. ft. Microwave
for users in 220V/50 Hz countries. You could also use it with a step up
transformer, though it'd be at 60 Hz which might affect it somewhat, but
probably not. The same
store sells the transformer. You could also buy a 12 volt to 220V power inverter
for mobile use, and still spend less than the Wavebox. As with the Wavebox you'd
need to hook the inverter directly to the battery with very heavy gauge cable,
as it will draw about 70 amps of +12V. Too bad GE doesn't sell a 120 volt
version of this. This microwave is very small, and I question its usefulness.
For boiling water for noodles, you could just as well use an immersion heater.

A very expensive, very small microwave that will run off of 12 volts or 120
volts. Almost no car outlet is 20 amps as required, so to run it from 12 volts
you'll need to hook it directly to the vehicle battery with heavy gauge wire.
This microwave is very small, and I question its usefulness. For boiling water
for noodles, you could just as well use an
immersion heater.

Might not be available anymore, as their web site "Buy"
button gives an error.

This is a 700 watt, 0.7 cubic foot microwave that is
physically the same outer volume as the 0.5 cubic foot Tappan. Since it's higher
power it's less suitable for boats and RVs so it's not premium priced. $50 from
Sears. Not suitable for use on an inverter. This is probably the best choice in
terms of size and price and quality if you don't care about running it off of an
inverter. Often on sale for around $40. Some stores like BrandsMart in Florida
will have it for even less.

Since almost every hotel has free ice
available, you should always pack a folding cooler tote with you to use to keep
your purchased food and leftovers from spoiling. In the winter, put some snow
into a zipper freezer bag. You really don't need to bring
along an electric Peltier element cooler (though electric coolers can be more convenient
than always replenishing the ice they don't get very cold (36 degrees F below
ambient) and require a big AC converter for hotel room use. Folding coolers are available at Costco,
Target, Wal-Mart, Cabela's, etc. For some reason, bagged ice has gotten really
expensive at many supermarkets. Wal-Mart has good prices if convenient, and some
Costco's sell bagged ice as well.

Don't leave a big mess for the hotel maid to
clean up, or they may report you to the management for in-room cooking. Don't
forget to tip the housekeeping staff daily ($3-$5). Since different crews
clean on different days, it's better to tip each day, than to leave a bigger tip
when you check out.

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